Floor construction



H c M. SAWY ER.

FLOOR commucmw.

MAN, 12. I920- REHiV-JIU APR. 35,1921.

APPLICATION FiL FRANK McTflIfiRRAY SAWYER, OF LOS ANGELES, CAiPIFORNIA- IELGOR. CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented Nov.il5,il921l.

Application filed January 12, 1920. Serial No. 350,801. Renewed April 15, 1921. Serial No. 461,674.

To all whom it may concern Be 'it known that I, FRANK MCMURRAY SAWYER, citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Floor Constructions, of which the following is a specification.

This invention "relates to improvements in concrete floor constructions and has for one of its objects to provide a floor constructlon formed of standardized units which form ceiling slabs and floor slabs, and shaping them in a manner as to require a minlmum amount of temporary supports or centering during the erection of the building.

A further object is to provide a concrete floor construction formed of superimposed precast slabs or blocks keyed in position by concrete beams which are formed between the slabs or blocks after they are placed upon the temporary supports.

A still further object is to provide a floor construction formed of two layers of precast slabs or blocks, the lower layer of wh ch form ceiling or supporting slabs, and with the edges of both sets of slabs being so shaped to form a mold for the concrete beams of the structure.

It is also an object of the invention to form a floor structure of standardised unlts comprising superimposed slabs which form both the ceiling below and the floor above, and shaped in a manner to provide a light hollow structure and easily cast and handled.

These and other objects are attalnedby the means illustrated in the accompany ng drawing, in which is shown a perspective view of a portion of a floor structure, some of the slabs being shown in section.

Similar reference numerals in all of the figures of the drawing designate like parts.

The floor structure is formed of the ceiling slabs 5, upon which are located the floor slabs 6, and each pair of these superimposed slabs are bound together by the concrete beams 7 which extend both longitudinally and transversely of the structure. Marginalbeams are preferably provided to surround the entire structure.

The ceiling slabs are preferably made of molding plaster and are formed with lower marginal edges 9 extending around the slab and which are adapted to contact with each other when the slabs are positioned in the structure. The sides of these ceiling slabs are formed with grooves 10, thereby providing upper marginal edges 11 which do not project as far as the lower marginal edges 9, but they do extend sufficiently to form keys which are embedded in the concrete beams 7, and thus prevent the ceiling slabs from dropping out of the structure. In other words the ceiling slabs are provided with undercut upper edges to key them in position. Preferably the ceiling slabs are formed with sunken panels 12, but where a ceiling is desired without sunken panels the lower face of the slabs can be changed accordingly when the slabs are cast or molded.

The floor slabs 6 are also provided with projecting marginal edges 13 and undercut sides 14, and are preferably formed hollow on their undersides as shown at 15 in the drawing, and should slabs of large area be desired, they are provided with intermediate ribs or supports 16. The plane area of the upper portions of both the ceiling and floor slabs is less than the plane area of the lower surface of the ceiling slabs, so that a recess of considerable size is formed between the adjacent pairs of slabs in which is formed the cohcrete beams 7.

The manner of constructing the combined floor and ceiling consists of first erecting temporary supports, such as the beams 17. and then placing the ceiling slabs with their lower edges resting upon the supports and with their marginal edges 9 in contact with each other. Then the floor slabs are positioned upon the ceiling slabs with their upper edges spaced from each other an equal distance apart to form the grooves 18. liteinforcing rods 19 are then placed in the recesses formed between the pairs of slabs, said rods preferably extending in both directions, and finally wet concrete is poured in the grooves 18, thereby filling the recesses and forming the beams 7 After waiting a proper time for the beams to set, the temporary forms are removed, and a finished ceiling and floor is secured without further skilled work, excepting the pointing up of the joints.

The depth of the slabs is determined by the width of the span to be covered, as the strength of the floor is dependent upon the depth of the concrete beams including their 7 reinforcement.

The idea of using two sets of slabs, that is separate ceiling and floor slabs, is to secure the necessary depth of the joints in which to form the beams, and thereby secure strength for the structure'and avoid using too much .material, thus obtaining the advantage of the hollow space between the slabs, and also slabs which are light in weight making them easy to handle.

This construction can also be used for a combined ceiling and roof where a flat roof is desired.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed'is 1. In a floor construction, ceiling slabs having projecting edges below their upper surfaces adapted to contact with each other to form a finished ceiling of the lower sides of the slabs, the edges of said ceiling slabs above the projecting edges being grooved to form recesses between the slabs and undercut upper edges or key-ways for supporting the slabs in position, floor slabs having upper sides to form the finished floor surface mounted upon said ceiling slabs and provided with undercut upper edges which lie spaced from each other to form grooves communicating with the recesses between the ceiling slabs, and concrete beams formed in said grooves and undercut recesses between the slabs.

2. In a floor construction, ceiling slabs having projecting edges below their upper surfaces adapted to contact with each other to form a finished ceiling of the lower sides of the slabs, the edges of said ceiling slabs above the projecting edges being grooved to form recesses between the slabs and undercut upper edges or keyways for supporting the slabs in position, floor slabs having upper sides to form the finished floor surface mounted upon said ceiling slabs and provided with hollow undersides and undercut upper edges which lie spaced from each other to form grooves communicating with the recesses between the ceiling slabs, and concrete beams formed in said grooves and undercut recesses between the slabs.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

FRANK MoMURR-AY SAWYER. 

